“Our Product Knock-out series is a match-up between two similar products. In boxing terms, think same weight class, same caliber, and same level of experience and amount of exposure. The purpose of these posts are for you to see a side-by-side view of two similar products, and to be able to understand which one will be crowned champ for your specific purposes. Take your seats and prepare for battle, because the gloves are coming out.”

LMR 100 and RG316 have some similarities and some differences. This product knockout post is going to examine the characteristics of LMR-100 vs RG316 cable. The two will then be compared and contrasted. Let’s take a closer look at these two cables.

What is LMR 100 Cable?

LMR 100 is a flexible, low loss, communication cable. This cable is ideal in applications such as short antenna feeder runs and jumper assemblies that are mostly in wireless communication systems. LMR 100 can also be used in applications that require easily routed, low-loss cable such as WLL, GPS, WLAN, etc. This cable features a flexible outer conductor which allows the tightest bend radius of any cable that is similar is size and performance. It also boasts the lowest loss of any flexible cable. LMR cable may be used as a drop in replacement for RG 316 or RG 174 cable.

What is RG 316 Cable?

RG 316 is a coax, military rated, communication cable. This cable can be used in applications such as military equipment, direct burial, transmission of radio frequency signals, and telecommunications. It can also be used for high frequency interconnections between PCB in telecommunications equipment. RG-316 is also an ideal choice for applications that require high performance and stability in high temperature environments or in applications that have minimal installation space. RG316 coax is also a low loss cable. Due to the large size of its conductor, the attenuation of RG316 is lower than other options in this category. This cable is also in accordance with MIL-DTL-17 specifications. This part is M17/113-RG316.

LMR 100 vs RG316 Cable

LMR 100 cable and RG 316 cable have some similarities and some differences. The cables are also both coaxial cables used in communications/telecommunications applications. They both have an impedance of 50 ohms. Below is a chart that compares the similarity of low loss/attenuation characteristics. As the chart shows, the low loss is comparable at a variety of different frequencies, but the LMR-100 cable performs slightly better. Both of these cables have low loss, or attenuation characteristics.

LMR-100 Loss (Attenuation dB/100ft)

RG316 Loss (Attenuation dB/100ft)

30 MHz

3.9

4.3

50 MHz

5.1

5.6

1500 MHz

30.1

32

As the chart shows below these cables are constructed differently. LMR-100 has a conductor that is solid bare copper clad steel, where RG316 has a stranded silver covered copper clad steel conductor. RG-316 having a stranded conductor, makes it more flexible than the solid conductor of LMR-100. Another major difference one can see from the chart is that RG316 has a higher temperature rating. The higher temperature rating is made possible by the jacket type of RG-316 coax which is Fluorinated Ethylene Copper (FEP). This allows the cable to be used in specific applications that require that higher temperature environment in comparison to the LMR-100.

LMR-100 vs RG316

LMR-100 vs RG316 Specs for Construction

LMR-100

RG316

Conductor Type

Solid Bare Copper Clad Steel

Stranded Silver Covered Copper Clad Steel

Dielectric Material

Solid Polyethylene (PE)

Solid Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)

Outer Conductor

Aluminum Tape

Silver Covered Copper Braid

Jacket

PVC or FRPE

Fluorinated Ethylene Copper (FEP)

Temperature

-40°C to +85°C

-55°C to + 200°C

Although LMR 100 can be used as a drop in replacement for RG 316, it does not have a mil-spec call out. This is another major difference when we compare LMR 100 vs RG316. RG 316 coax has a military call out, M17/113-RG316.

Winner by unanimous vote? Instead, it seems as if the match has ended in a technical decision. In this case it looks like our crowned champ depends on your specific application use.

If you’re unsure about what cable you’ll need in order to meet the needs of your application, consult with one of Allied’s knowledgeable sales reps by submitting an RFQ. Visit our website to learn more about LMR 100 Cable or RG-316 Cable.